Major setback for Mahayuti, Ramdas Athawale’s RPI to contest BMC polls independently

Mumbai: In a significant blow to the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, Union Minister of State Ramdas Athawale on Tuesday announced that his party, the Republican Party of India (A), will contest the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections independently.

Accusing the Mahayuti alliance of “betrayal” regarding seat-sharing, minister Athawale released a list of 39 candidates, signaling a major rift just hours before the nomination deadline.

Incidentally, Tuesday was the last day for filing nominations for the 227 member BMC elections slated for January 15. The party has fielded candidates across North, North-Central, North-West, and North-East Mumbai.

Despite multiple warnings and high-level discussions, the RPI (A) was reportedly kept in limbo until the final stages of seat negotiations. Minister Athawale alleged that the Mahayuti alliance failed to honour its commitments. While Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had previously instructed that RPI be allocated seats from the BJP’s quota, no action was taken on the ground.

“The BJP and the Shinde faction had promised us seven seats. However, not a single RPI candidate was included in the official lists released by either party. Consequently, we have decided to fight on our own strength,” minister Athawale told reporters.

Athawale took to X to explain why RPI (A) decided to go solo in the BMC elections. He said, “The BJP offered a proposal for just 7 seats late Monday night, but putting up candidates in new places at the eleventh hour is now impossible. Even though our strength in Mumbai is greater than that of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), we were sidelined in the seat-sharing talks, which has caused intense resentment among RPI workers across Maharashtra. We are not like other leaders who repeatedly twist words or change their stance as it suits them. Fundamentally, we cannot accept compromising by forgetting the party, the workers, and their self-respect, because the strength of the workers is the true strength of the party. Therefore, we will not take any stance that puts the workers’ dignity and the party’s existence at stake. Our word and our loyalty are rock-solid.”

He further stated, “From a broader perspective, it is extremely essential for the Ambedkari society’s power to participate in governance and, through that, to keep the work for the common people going uninterrupted. It is with this seriousness in mind that we have decided to stay with the MahaYuti. Many more decisions can be taken after the election results, but it is now clear that we will contest ‘friendly fights’ on 38 to 39 seats. Even though our support for the MahaYuti remains firm, on these seats, the RPI will demonstrate its strength.”

Political observers said that the RPI A’s decision is viewed as a major headache for the Mahayuti. The Ambedkarite community, which forms a significant voting bloc in specific pockets of Mumbai, has traditionally supported the alliance due to Athawale. In municipal elections, where victory margins can be as slim as 100 to 200 votes, the presence of independent RPI candidates could split the Dalit vote, directly damaging the prospects of BJP and Shinde-led Shiv Sena candidates in several key wards.

IANS